Modern Foreign Languages
Head of department: Mrs H Russell russellh@wellandparkacademy.com
In the MFL department we are passionate about languages and the young people we teach. We believe that learning a language is a life skill and a lot of fun. We take an interactive and communicative approach to language learning; encouraging students to express themselves, building their confidence and developing their self-esteem.
Learning languages opens up a world of possibilities. We love seeing our students learn and grow into confident young people and linguists. This becomes especially evident when we take them away on one of our trips abroad (details below).
We enjoy teaching our students about different countries and cultures along the way; celebrating festivals, sampling food, listening to the latest music or watching films in the target language.
Speaking a foreign language is an asset to any job in any sector and the transferable skills we master when learning a language make us better communicators and problem solvers and more resilient in all areas of life.
MFL Curriculum Intent
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To facilitate the accumulation and retention of key language to understand and communicate in a foreign language.
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To develop key transferable skills (communication, confidence, pattern recognition and problem-solving) in all students.
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To promote cultural understanding and foster a love of learning languages.
Staff
Mrs Russell (Head of Department) teaches French and German and loves organising trips and exchanges.
Mrs Gerald teaches French and German and loves a game of boules.
Mrs Ratcliffe teaches French, German and Spanish and joined us in May 2024.
Mrs Horne teaches French and German and loves a game of backwards Jenga.
Miss Kolbeck teaches German and French and comes from near Stuttgart.
Mrs Waddington teaches Spanish & French and used to be a Lawyer
Curriculum structure
Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9)
Year 7
· Each form group is assigned a language.
· Students are taught their language for two hours per week in form groups.
Year 8
· Students are streamed by ability into different classes.
· Languages lessons make up three hours per week.
· Students have the opportunity to go on trips to either the Rhineland in Germany, the Opal Coast in France, or Seville in Spain, depending on their language. Trips last for five days.
Year 9
· Students enjoy three lessons per week.
· All students are encouraged to choose a GCSE in at least one language.
Key Stage 4 (Year 10-11)
Languages are optional but we have a very good take-up of languages at Key Stage 4. We are very proud of the excellent results we achieve in all 3 languages at GCSE.
Courses and Resources
We follow the AQA course for all GCSE languages.
For more information about the content of the course or how it’s assessed. Click on the link below.
French
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/french-8658/specification-at-a-glance
German https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/german-8668/specification-at-a-glance
Spanish
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/spanish-8698/specification-at-a-glance
We use Pearson resources across both Key Stages. (Supplemented of course with our own resources and games etc)
French – Dynamo/Studio
German – Stimmt
Spanish - Viva
All students are issued with a vocabulary book at the start of each year. This is designed to support their learning, both in the classroom and at home. Revising for weekly vocabulary tests is an integral part of homework and we encourage parents/carers to help their child whenever they can with their vocabulary learning.
Online resources
Linked to the Pearson courses, we subscribe to the Active Learn interactive website for all 3 languages Years 7-11. All students are issued with a username and password at the beginning of the year and tasks are set regularly for them to complete at home for homework/revision.
https://www.pearsonactivelearn.com/
We also subscribe annually to Linguascope.
This is a fantastic, interactive site with games, vocabulary lists, worksheets suitable for Year 7-11.
Students will be given the log in details each year (and they are written in the front cover of their vocab books just in case!)
Linguascope is used for class teaching and homework but it should also be used by students for independent learning and a chance to practice key vocabulary that they may not feel as confident with.
With our log in you can also access up to 14 different languages so if you fancy having a go at learning some Maori, Mandarin or Welsh, go for it!
Other websites we love include:
https://www.languagesonline.org.uk/Hotpotatoes/index.html
https://www.thenational.academy
Students can easily set up individual usernames and passwords to access these wonderful sites.
Trips
We believe that the best way to engage with a language is to visit a country where it is spoken and to hear it, and use it, in real life situations. Experiencing the culture and the everyday life of people in other countries also fosters a greater understanding of the world around us.
Year 8
Five day trip, usually in June, staying in a hotel/youth hostel type accommodation. The trip is full of cultural visits and provides a chance to try out the language we’ve learnt so far!
French - Opal Coast
German - Rhineland
Spanish - Seville
Year 10
French -Paris
German – Bayreuth*
Spanish – Barcelona
*German exchange – this is a very special opportunity for students to experience real German life and speak lots of German by staying with a family. We have a strong link with the Richard Wagner Gymnasium in Bayreuth, northern Bavaria. Since 2018 our families have been hosting German students here in Market Harborough and then our students return to stay with their partner. In many cases, this trip has had a lasting impact on the students who have been involved. Friends have been made for life!
